Spotlight on Orient in new murder mystery novel

Christopher Bollen can recall the moment he knew that Orient would make the perfect backdrop for a murder mystery novel.

Bollen, an author and magazine editor who lives in New York City, was staying at a friend’s North Fork home in 2011 when he became terrified by the eeriness of a dark, starry night in the country. The still nights in Orient, contrasted with the blaring sirens and late-night revelers in New York City, made him suddenly aware of how alone he was on the remote stretch of land, connected to the rest of the island by only a narrow causeway.

“I knew I was being ridiculous, but it occurred to me as an adult that I had never spent a night alone in the country before,” he said. “That kind of Jekyll-and-Hydeness [of the area] stuck with me.